By The Sword
by spiritofwolf
Summary: In another land of chivalry and sacred swords, Sir Lancelot has his first meeting with his future King. AU


WHY AM I DOING THIS I SHOULD BE ASLEEP OR STUDYING.

Happy 20th, Sonic!

Yeah so I spell it Launcelot, just 'cause it looks cooler like that.

This isn't actually from SatBK, but an AU where Sonic is (currently) a knight, and there is no king (yet). I really liked the game, and the verse is fun to play with, especially due to the lack of Guinevere to screw things up. (Yeah, watch me blatantly ignore Merlina's exposition on inter-knight rivalry.) See, no Guinevere means Launcelot won't fall in love with her, and won't accidentally kill Gawain's brothers while rushing to her defence, so Gawain has no reason to have a feud with him, and Round Table is happy.

How is that supposed to work here anyway? Knux has none of his kind left, so really, it would never happen anyway. (Besides, Sonic can have Launcelot. I think this is actually the first hint of a non-canon pairing in my writing.) Also, that would imply very disturbing things, since Lamorak was killed by Gawain's brothers for sleeping with their mother. Yeah, not somewhere I want to go.

Okay I should shut up now. One last thing: that last line? _I had such a kick writing it._

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><p>The young knight before him circled slowly, sword held constantly at the ready, alert red eyes flicking in his direction. His sinuous movements bespoke of muscles obtained through hard training and experience, and the hedgehog found himself mirroring his opponent. It was a dance of wild animals, bodies flowing smoothly, eyes never leaving the other, wary movements of their swords as they circled and stalked around each other in a display of intimidation.<p>

"I have heard many things about you, good sir knight," He broke the silence first, eyes tracking as the beautifully crafted sword flicked upwards ever so slightly. "Heard tell that you are a fair knight, and brave, ever helping the poor and defending the weak. And yet, when asked of thy name and title, you merely answer-"

"That it matters not the title of he who offers aid, for it is the sworn duty of this knight to offer succor where he can, heedless of rewards or reknown." The dark stranger finished, stance not changing in the slightest. "Yes, that is my answer to any and all who ask."

He dropped his knightly manner for an instant, flashing a grin to his counterpart. "Not a very talkative one, are you?"

To the normal eye, the dark hedgehog seemed to flicker, and appear before the other, sword flicking up in a standard disarm. Instead of being caught off guard, however, the blue hedgehog rolled with the disarm, coming up in a block with blade catching on blade.

He saw the flash of surprise in red eyes, then they were off, lightning fast moves of blades and bodies until it seemed that the entire clearing was filled with black and blue blurs, silver ribboning through the air in a deadly cage.

Pulling apart, they observed the other, both panting ever so slightly.

"It is my business as to who I reveal my name to, and unless you prove to me that you are worthy in combat, I see no reason to sate your curiosity."

Each saw the glint of a challenge in the other's eyes, and they clashed together again, swords swinging, legs sweeping, each hoping to catch the other off balance and win the split-second advantage- all that was needed to triumph in combat so rapid.

Then the blue hedgehog leapt high into the air, and drove his opponent back with a flurry of spines and his sword. The speed at which he rotated wrenched the sword out of the dark hedgehog's hands, and it flew away in a tight spin, embedding itself in the soil a good length away from the combatants.

Green eyes looked down the length of his sword at red eyes, the tip of the blade steady at the neck of his opponent as they both sucked air into their lungs. Then lips curled upwards on a peach muzzle as the blue hedgehog sheathed his blade and offered a gloved hand to the hedgehog on the ground. "So, do you yield?"

The darker hedgehog's eyes flickered between the outstretched hand and the smiling face, seemingly weighing something. Then he grasped the other hedgehog's hand to pull himself up, and if their grip on each other lasted a little longer than necessary, there was no-one to notice.

"Sir Launcelot of the Lake yields, for now. May I know the name of the skilled knight who has bested me?"

It was the first time Launcelot had ever seen so bright a grin, since the time he had locked away his heart from attachment and hurt.

"They call me Sonic, Knight of the Wind."


End file.
